Mapping the Hand-in-Hand Fire Insurance Registers (1697–1865)
With Aviva Group Archive

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Challenge

Aviva holds some of the oldest insurance records in the world, including detailed 17th-century fire policy registers. These handwritten volumes were largely inaccessible and difficult to interpret.

Solution

Osiris-AI partnered with Humap to create an interactive platform allowing users to:

  • Consult on digitisation strategy for Aviva’s archives
  • Automatically transcribe policy text using our custom HTR models achieving ~90% accuracy
  • Crowdsource the mapping of 550,000+ entries from London fire insurance policies
  • Geolocate properties using parish and landmark references
  • Visualise historical data overlaid on modern maps

Impact

This tool gives Aviva and the public new insight into 17th-century Londoners and their properties. It also supports historical research, genealogy, and public engagement with Aviva’s archive.

Aviva